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HISTORY The original 1963 arrangement of the ''Doctor Who'' theme is widely regarded as a significant and innovative piece of electronic music. Recorded before the introduction of synthesisers, Delia Derbyshire used Musique Concrète techniques. Each and every note was painstakingly handcrafted using pre-recorded individually struck piano strings as well as electronic equipment such as wave signal generators, noise generators, filters and square- and sine-wave Oscillator s (which were themselves rare at the time), with the results pitch-shifted if necessary. Finally each note, on magnetic tape, was cut up and joined together in the correct order. Grainer was amazed at the resulting piece of music and when he heard it, famously asked, "Did I write that?". Derbyshire replied that he mostly had. Unfortunately, the BBC — who wanted to keep members of the Workshop anonymous — prevented Grainer from getting her a co-composer credit and a share of the royalties. The theme can be divided into several distinctive parts. A rhythmic bassline opens and underlies the theme throughout, followed by a rising and falling set of notes that forms the main melody which is repeated several times. The Bridge , also known as the "middle 8", is an uplifting interlude that usually features in the closing credits or the full version of the theme. The theme has been often cited as being both memorable as well as frightening, priming the viewer for what was to follow. During the 1970s, the '' Radio Times '', the BBC's own listings magazine, announced that a child's mother said the theme music terrified her son. The ''Radio Times'' was apologetic, but the theme music remained. ARRANGEMENTS The 1963 arrangement served, minor edits and additions — most notably the addition of reverberation during the Patrick Troughton era and an "electronic scream" at the start of the closing credits during the Jon Pertwee years — as the theme tune up to 1980 and the end of Season 17 . During the Third Doctor 's era beginning in 1970, the "sting", an electronic shriek, was added to punctuate the episode Cliffhanger s and serve as a lead-in to the closing theme. In 1972, there was an attempt by Brian Hodgson and Paddy Kingsland to modernise the theme tune using the Radiophonic Workshop's modular " Delaware " synthesiser (named after the Workshop's location at Delaware Road). The "Delaware" arrangement, which had a distinct Jew's Harp sound, was not well received by BBC executives and was abandoned, with the master tapes being lost and the episodes that used it redubbed with the old Derbyshire arrangement. However, the Delaware version was accidentally left on some episodes which were sold to Australia, and survives today in this form. (The complete version of this arrangement of the music is included as an extra on the DVD Release of '' Carnival Of Monsters ''.) In 1980, the show's new producer, John Nathan-Turner , wanted to modernise the theme music for Season 18 . Radiophonic Workshop staffer Peter Howell provided a new arrangement performed on Analogue Synthesisers , giving a more dynamic, glossy and strident feel. The 1980 arrangement added the sting to the opening theme as well. The Howell theme was eventually replaced by a new arrangement by Dominic Glynn for Season 23 's '' The Trial Of A Time Lord '' (1986). The Glynn arrangement was also not well liked, and was itself replaced by a new arrangement by Keff McCulloch for the Seventh Doctor 's era beginning with Season 24 (1987), with the sting in this version being replaced by a crashing note instead of a shriek. Nathan-Turner stated that the new music, logo and title sequence were to signal a fresh start to the programme. The 1996 ''Doctor Who'' Television Movie used a fully orchestrated version, arranged by John Debney (although Debney later revealed that he had originally intended to replace the original theme with one of his own design). This contained a new introduction, being a quieter piece of music over which part of the Eighth Doctor 's ( Paul McGann ) opening narration was read, building up to a Crescendo as it began with the middle 8, a departure from previous versions of the theme. THE 2005 SERIES Murray Gold 's arrangement of the theme for the 2005 Series featured samples from the 1963 original with further elements added, including orchestral sounds (low horns, strings, percussion) and part of the Dalek Ray-gun and TARDIS materialisation sound effects. The sting once again served as the lead-in to the theme, but Gold omitted the middle 8. Gold created a variation on his arrangement for the closing credits of '' The Christmas Invasion '' which was performed by the BBC National Orchestra Of Wales . Unlike his arrangement for the 2005 series, this version restored the middle 8, and is being used for the closing credits of the 2006 Series . REMIXES, REMAKES AND INSPIRATIONS In the early 1970s, Jon Pertwee recorded a version of the ''Doctor Who'' theme, with spoken lyrics, entitled "Who Is The Doctor". In 1988, the band The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu (later known as The KLF ) released the single " Doctorin' The Tardis " under the name The Timelords . The song used samples from ''Doctor Who'', Gary Glitter 's "Rock and Roll (Part 1)" (or possibly "Rock and Roll (Part 2)" — the sections used are not specific enough to tell), and Sweet 's "Blockbuster", with lyrics chanting about the Doctor, the TARDIS , and Dalek s. "Doctorin' the Tardis" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 12 June , and also charted highly in Australia and New Zealand. Other bands have covered or reinterpreted the ''Doctor Who'' theme, such as the Electronica band Orbital , the bands Dr. Pablo and Dub Syndicate , and the Australia n string ensemble Fourplay . The Pogues (intentionally, according to an interview) used a bass line in their song "Wild Cats of Kilkenny" (from ''Rum, Sodomy & the Lash'') that is similar to the ''Doctor Who'' theme, as did Pink Floyd in their song "One of These Days" (from '' Meddle ''), which featured a brief keyboard solo that echoed the theme's melody; the musical link is more obvious in the live version on '' Delicate Sound Of Thunder ''. The comedian band Franz Ferdinand appeared on stage to Peter Howell's arrangement of the theme. US band The Mars Volta , who claim Doctor Who as an influence, have played the music over the P.A. after their gigs have ended. Some fans, which include professional and amateur musicians, have produced their own remixes of the theme music for non-commercial distribution. Many of these remixes are available for download from whomix.trilete.net . REFERENCES In BBC Radio 4's topical comedy programme the Now Show, Mitch Benn mentioned hiding in his "safe place" before humming the Doctor Who theme music. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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